Sunday 24 January 2010

SOSSA Wollongong Pelagic


Black-browed Albatross

Pomarine Jeager

Australian Gannet

Flesh-footed Shearwater


Pygmy Killer Whale

This month's trip to the continental shelf was pretty quite for the most part. For the likes of me though, there was still the odd lifer to get: this time in the shape of a few Long-tailed Jaegers. They were joined by their Arctic and Pomarine cousins throughout. Also of note were a good number of Flesh-footed Shearwaters, a Sooty Shearwater, three untimely Black-browed Albatrosses and an adult Yellow-nosed Albatross (very unlikely). We also encountered a nice pod of Pygmy Killer Whales.

But, the biggest surprise of all was the massive wall of weather that rolled over the horizon looking, for all the shipwrecks in the sea, like land! After a warning from the skipper to 'hold onto your hats' the air turned cold like a ghost had entered the room and it was upon us. With the Sandra K rolling from rail to rail on a decent swell and the wind battering spray against our faces, I held on for dear life all the way back to the Gong.

Sunday 17 January 2010

Australian Reed-Warbler, Sydney Olympic Park

Sunday 3 January 2010

Regent Honeyeater, Nurragingy Reserve


Golden-headed Cisticola, Pitt Town Lagoon


Saturday 2 January 2010

Lewin's Rail & Spotless Crake,
Sydney Olympic Park


Lewin's Rail

Spottless Crake


Friday 1 January 2010

Happy New Year!





Beautiful Firetail

I brought in the new year with my favourite walk around the Curra Moors track in the Royal National Park. After a slow start and a bit of a stake-out at the Curra Brook crossing things started to warm up. I was hoping to photograph some Origma (Rock Warblers), seen here before, but was treated instead to an uncharacteristic show of bravado by a pair of Beautiful Firetails. They're usually skulking birds, staying close to cover offering nothing more than a red flash of rump but these two put on a real show.


Black-faced Monarch

Eastern Spinebill

Variegated Fairy-wren